Til the End of Time
by FairyStarDust112
Summary: Dean and Sam Winchester are sent by Castiel, the angel, to Tree Hill, North Carolina to help a girl named Brooke Davis. Brooke is about to find out that her destiny involves two brothers one who just might be the love of her life and saving the world.
1. Prologue

**Til the End of Time**

**Summary: **Takes place during S4 of Supernatural and S6 of One Tree Hill. Julian did exist in Brooke's life, but Sam (her foster daughter) didn't.

Dean and Sam Winchester are sent by Castiel, the angel, to Tree Hill, North Carolina to help a girl named Brooke Davis. Brooke thought her life was in a stand still, but she's about to find out that her destiny involves two brothers (one who just might be the love of her life) and saving the world.

**Pairing:** Dean/Brooke (romance) and Sam/Haley (friendship)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters or shows. Dean and Sam Winchester belong to Eric Kripke and Brooke Davis, Haley James-Scott, and others belong to Mark Schwahn.

The engine of the 1967 Chevy Impala roars as she makes her way down the road. "All Right Now" by Free blares through the speakers as Dean sits in the driver's seat and lightly rocks his head to the beat. Sam concentrates on the road map. He glances over at Dean.

"Are you not the slightest bit curious as to why we're going to this place? I mean, I've never even heard of it."

Dean shrugs, "There's a lot of places we've ventured into that we knew nothing about."

Sam shakes his head. "This is different Dean. I can feel it. This is a place that Castiel himself told us we needed to go. Now, are you telling me the truth when you say that he didn't give you anymore details?"

"It's the truth, Sam! All Castiel told me is that there's this girl who needs our help." Dean glances knowingly at Sam, "I don't have anything to hide." He quickly glances back to the road.

Sam glares at Dean. It was obvious that he didn't trust him anymore. And if he was honest with himself, he knew that Dean had every right to feel that way. But still, it irritated him that Dean felt so superior to him ever since he had been "touched by angels".

Sam sighs, "I'm just saying that since Castiel gave you the orders, it has to be something major. Something to do with the apocalypse. Don't you think?"

Dean doesn't say anything. He continues to stare straight ahead. The apocalypse was inevitable. There are only a few seals that are left to be broken. But that doesn't mean he likes to think about it. The closer he gets to the apocalypse, the closer he is to losing Sam. How did it come to this?

"Dean!"

Dean snaps back to the present. "Look Sam, I like to take this day by day. I honestly don't want to know what it means if we help this girl."

"Surely Chuck has seen something about this in his visions or whatever you want to call them."

"I'm sure he has, but apparently Chuck has taken a vow of silence when it comes to the apocalyptic mumbo jumbo. He won't say a word."

Sam looks out the passenger window and watches as the blurred trees pass by. "He must have seen something bad."

A rush of concern washes over Dean, but he doesn't let Sam know it. "Which is why I think the less we know the better."

Sam looks over at Dean. If he was concerned, he definitely wasn't showing it. "I guess you're right."

Dean pushes aside his concerns and looks over at Sam with a smile, "Of course I'm right, Sammy!"

Sam lightly laughs and looks back toward the road. "Well, we made it!"

"About damn time!" Dean cranks up the volume to the radio as the Impala glides past the welcome sign.

_Welcome to Tree Hill, North Carolina_


	2. See You Again

**See You Again**

Brooke sat on her chic sofa in Clothes Over Bros, looking through the company papers. She was eager to find some sort of loophole around Victoria's plan to take COB away from her. So far, she wasn't having much luck.

Haley walks out carrying two cups of coffee. She hands one to Brooke, "Tell me again why you passed up an incredible opportunity to move to LA with Julian."

Brooke sighs as she takes the coffee and Haley sits down. "Because it would've been a lie. Julian is an amazing guy and he doesn't deserve to be taken advantage of."

Haley watches Brooke's face, trying to figure out what she was feeling. Usually she was good at this, but lately, it was so hard to figure her out. "So you don't love him."

Brooke looks back at Haley in the most sincere way. "I care about him. A lot. But no. I don't love him. Not in the way he wants me to. "

"Well maybe if you just gave it a few months…."

Brooke laughs, "Haley, why should I try to force something that's just not there? It wouldn't be fair to him or me."

Haley sighs as she puts her arm around Brooke and pulls her close. "I know, Brooke. I just want you to be happy. I want you to find someone that you can love with all your heart. Someone that loves you just the same."

Brooke smiles and hugs Haley tighter, "I will, Tutor-Wife. Who knows? Maybe he'll walk through that door today, sweep me off my feet, and we'll live happily ever after." Haley laughs, "That's the most romantic story I could ever read!"

They sit there a few more moments just holding each other. It was nice to know that no matter what they always had each other. Even in the worst of times…..

Haley looks up at the clock, "Oh I've got to get going. I promised Jamie I'd come by the school and eat lunch with him today." She stands up and pulls her purse up onto her shoulder.

Brooke gathers up all her papers, "Tell my handsome little man that I love him."

"So you _can_ say it?"

Brooke tilts her head and slowly smiles at Haley, "Get out of here!"

Haley laughs and walks toward the door, "I'll see you later."

"Bye!"

Brooke shakes her head and laughs to herself as she thinks of Haley's comment. It seemed so hard for her friends to understand what she was feeling. She didn't want to say those three words to someone when they weren't true. It's the best for both of them in the long run. Besides, something in her heart tells her she'll find love someday. It's not like the world is ending….

She stacks the papers up on the front desk and walks to the back room to look through a few more things.

The door chime rings as the front door opens and Dean walks in. He looks around at the almost empty shop. He arches one of his eyebrows in amusement and says to himself, "Looks like someone doesn't understand the term _clothing_ store."

He hears a female voice from the back room.

"Haley did you forget…."

Brooke stops dead in her tracks when she sees the handsome stranger. Definitely not what or who she was expecting.

"Um, can I help you?"

Dean stares at Brooke a moment. It seems Castiel failed to mention the fact that this ordinary girl was far from _ordinary_. She was downright beautiful. The most intriguing human being he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Uh…sorry. I'm....um…." Dean fiddled with the fake ID in his pocket. Just like every other case, he and Sam had decided they wouldn't tell this girl their real names. They had decided on two new identities, but he was having the hardest time remembering just one of the names. Either that or he just couldn't bring himself to lie to this girl.

"I'm Dean. Dean Winchester." Yep. It was the second reason. What the hell is wrong with him?

Brooke walks behind the counter. She slowly surveys Dean with her eyes, without being too obvious of course. She had never seen anyone so handsome in her life! She thought the tall, dark, and handsome guys like him only existed on soap operas. But what made him so intriguing and so different from anyone else, is all of the worn features he had. There was a fierce yet sincere look in his eyes. It seemed as though he had been through a lot in his life.

"Hello Dean. May I help you with something?"

Dean tries to remember what his story was going to be, but his mind was a total blank.

Brooke smiles, "No offense, but my fashions don't seem to be your style."

Dean smiles back. She was a charmer, that's for sure. Her smile seemed to light up her whole face, making her even more beautiful. There was just something about her that made him want to get to know her.

He makes his way towards her, "Actually, my brother and I are lost. See we're new in town and I was just wondering how you get to..."

Dean tries to make out what the sign says next door out of the corner of his eye. It's a stupid excuse but it would have to do.

"The Dixie Grill. We're looking for the Dixie Grill."

Brooke glances next door and smiles.

"It seems you are on the right track. It's right next door." Brooke points in the direction.

Dean looks over, "Well, will you look at that? I guess if it was a snake it would've bitten me." He nervously laughs to himself. That's the lamest line he's ever said. Again, what the hell is wrong with him?

Brooke laughs to herself. Apparently she wasn't the only one feeling a bit nervous. "So how long are you in town for?"

Dean leans down and props his elbows on the counter, "My brother and I are here on business. So, it's a wait and see type of thing." He flashes his flirty smile.

Brooke feels herself go weak in the knees. Did that seriously happen in real life? She had no idea. But apparently a smile from Dean Winchester is all it takes. She flashes a flirty smile of her own.

"Business? What type of business?"

"Just some family business." Dean hopes she doesn't pry even further. There's no telling what he might say.

Brooke just nods, never breaking eye contact. Dean looks around the store.

"You do know that in order for a clothing store to actually get business, you have to have _clothes_ in it to sell."

Dean notices a flicker of sadness in her eyes and starts to regret making that joke. Brooke shrugs, "Let's just say it has to do with family business also."

Dean slowly nods, trying to figure her out.

Brooke clears her throat, trying to change the subject. She decides to up her charm a bit, "So Dean, did you really need directions or did you just come in here to see _me_?"

Dean is shocked by how forward she is, but it makes him even more intrigued. Castiel seriously needs to get better at the details.

He leans closer and says in a deep, flirtatious tone, "You sound so sure of yourself. I don't even know your name."

Brooke extends her hand and smiles, "I'm Brooke. Brooke Davis."

Dean knew her name before he even came into the store. He remembered thinking it was a nice name when Castiel told him. But hearing her say it made him change his mind. It was the sexiest name he had ever heard.

He gently cups her hand in his and shakes it, "Nice to meet you, Brooke Davis."

"You too, Dean Winchester."

Dean realizes a few moments had passed and here they are, still holding each other's hand and staring in each other's eyes. He quickly lets go of her hand, trying to recollect himself, "So Brooke Davis, have you lived here your whole life?"

Brooke nods, "Yeah. Well, I lived in New York for about 4 years."

"A city girl."

Brooke laughs, "No. Not quite. It was always about business so it never really felt like home. So I made a decision to move back to Tree Hill and open one of my stores here."

Dean nods and starts walking around the store. He takes a closer look at the few dresses that are on display, "Just out of curiosity, have you ever noticed anything…out of the ordinary happen here in Tree Hill?"

Brooke lightly laughs, "My whole life has been out of the ordinary."

Dean looks back over at her and smiles. It seemed they had a lot more in common than he originally thought, "Yeah I know what you mean."

He walks back toward her, "No, I mean, have you seen any….any weird…unusual…"

Brooke looks at him curiously.

The words are at the tip of Dean's tongue. The usual ghosts, demons, weird smells, black smoke, witches, etc. But he just can't say them. He feels if he does, it will ruin everything. This beautiful girl will go running as far away as she can. He didn't want that. He wanted to get to know her. He wanted to get to know the real Brooke Davis.

Dean lightly laughs to himself and looks down, "Never mind." He remembers that Sam is waiting outside, "I should get going. My brother is waiting for me." He looks at her one last time then turns around and walks toward the door.

A worried feeling washes over Brooke, making her rush around the counter.

"Wait!"

Dean quickly turns back around and looks at her expectantly.

Brooke kind of smiles and shrugs, "Will I see you again?"

"That depends."

A confused look appears on Brooke's face, "On what?"

"Are you going to be having a good sale anytime soon?"

Brooke laughs.

Dean starts to open the door and slightly turns back around to look her in the eyes once more, "We'll meet again, Brooke Davis."

He winks and walks out the door. Brooke stands there staring at the spot where he just stood. A feeling of excitement rushes through her. She slowly smiles to herself.

Sam is leaning up against the passenger side of the car with his arms crossed, watching the people as they pass by. It was a nice little town. It didn't seem like anything unusual was going on.

Dean clears his throat as he rushes up to the car. He fumbles to get the keys out. Sam quickly turns around to face his brother, "So...how'd it go? What's she like?"

Dean shrugs, trying to play if off as nothing, "Oh you know. She's just your typical girl. Whatever."

Sam looks at Dean curiously. He was acting very strange.

"What's wrong with you?"

Dean looks at Sam, confused. "What do you mean? I'm completely fine." He's still fumbling with the keys. "Dammit!"

Sam continues to stare at Dean across the hood of the car, trying to figure out what's wrong. Then he finally gets it. He starts to laugh. Dean slowly looks up at Sam. "What's so funny?"

Sam smiles, "She's hot isn't she?"

Dean looks away, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sam laughs again, "She is! She's an attractive girl and she's got you fumbling all over yourself."

"Phssh! Whatever Sam…I mean….she's…she's not…" He gets distracted as he thinks back to the moment he first saw her. Brooke Davis. A dreamy smile slowly appears on his face. He then notices the strange look Sam is giving him. Crap! He just gave himself away.

"Okay fine! She's hot! You happy now?"

"Ha ha! I knew it!"

Dean rolls his eyes, "Just get in the car!"

Dean opens the door and slides into his seat. Sam shortly follows, "So, what happened?"

"Well, I…" He looks at Sam nervously. "I kind of told her my real name."

Sam looks at Dean, surprised. "Wow. She must be _really_ hot if she can make you tell the truth."

Dean sighs, "It just came out okay? There's just something about her. I don't know how to describe it. Maybe she's a witch or something and she has that calming effect on people."

"More like putting them in heat."

Dean quickly looks at Sam with a warning stare. "Watch it, Sammy."

As Dean puts the keys in the ignition, Sam smiles at the state his brother is in. He's completely undone, "You know, I was watching everyone while you were in there and I just don't understand why we're here. I mean, nothing unusual seems to be going on."

Dean shrugs, "I don't know. I think I'd like to stick around for a while and just see what happens."

Sam lightly laughs and says under his breath, "I bet you do."

Dean looks over at Sam, "Did you say something?"

Sam innocently shakes his head and smiles, "Not a word."

Dean cranks up the car and Miley Cyrus' "See You Again" blasts over the radio.

_Now I can't wait to see you again._

_The last time I freaked out_

_I just kept looking down_

_I st-st-studdered…_

Dean looks at Sam, horrified, "What the hell were you listening to?"

Sam shakes his head defensively, "I didn't touch it…."

Dean rolls his eyes and quickly changes the station.

Sam smiles to himself as Dean pulls out and drives down the road. It was going to be a long, yet entertaining couple of weeks.


	3. Family Business

**Chapter 2**

**Family Business**

Brooke and Haley sat outside on Brooke's balcony. It was a beautiful, sunny day and Haley couldn't help questioning Brooke about her chance meeting with the intriguing Dean Winchester.

"So basically all you know is that he's new in town and he has a brother."

Brooke nods, "He said he was here on family business. Do you think his family lives here?"

Haley shrugs, "Maybe. But I don't know of any Winchesters in Tree Hill." She turns excitedly around in the lounge chair to face Brooke, "Tell me. How hot was he?"

Brooke smiles to herself and looks at Haley, "He was unlike anyone I have ever seen! He's definitely the tall, dark, and handsome type. But let me tell you, there was just something about his eyes." Brooke looks straight ahead at the beautiful view. "You could get lost in them." She lightly laughs to herself and looks down.

"Brooke Davis, I believe you are blushing."

Brooke giggles and playfully hits Haley on the arm, "I am not!"

Haley laughs, "Yes you are!"

Brooke hides her face in her hands and says in a muffled voice, "Haley, this isn't like me."

"Brooke, it's okay to be like this. Maybe you see something in him like what I saw in Nathan."

Brooke's hands fall to her lap, "You really shouldn't be comparing my "relationships" to yours and Nathan's." She smiles at Haley and gently pats her leg, "I'm not that lucky."

Haley shrugs, "You never know."

Brooke sighs, frustrated. "Well I _do_ know that I don't need to be getting all crushed out on a guy who I don't even know if I'll ever see again!"

"Well he said you'd meet again…"

"Right, but I don't know him. He could've been lying through his teeth just to get rid of me." She covers her face again with her hands, "I acted like a complete idiot around him!"

Haley gently takes Brooke's hands and pulls them away from her face, "Brooke, look at me."

After a moment, Brooke slowly looks at Haley.

Haley smiles, "Just have some faith, Brooke Davis! Sometimes it's all you need."

*****

Sam sat at the table in the hotel room, trying to find some information on the computer. They still had no idea why Castiel had sent them there. Sam was beginning to wonder if it was just another "angel" joke being played on them. But Dean insisted something must be wrong if Castiel wanted them to be there.

Sam hears the sliding of the room key as the door opens and Dean walks in, "Have you found anything yet?"

Sam sighs and shakes his head, "Nothing." He catches a small bag of chips that Dean tosses his way, "Thanks!"

Dean sits down on one of the beds, "So nothing unusual has happened here at all?"

Sam shrugs, "Well if you count some guy having a heart attack, burning alive while trapped in his own car dealership, killing his own brother, going to prison, trying to kill himself, and being hit by a car as being unusual….then okay."

Dean's eyes widen, "This is all the same guy?"

Sam nods, "Yeah. I think someone just has it out for him. Nothing supernatural related."

"No kidding." Dean gets up and walks over to the computer, "So, nothing on this Brooke Davis?" He leans down to get a closer look.

Sam smiles and rolls his eyes as he watches his brother get all antsy, "Nothing unusual. It seems she's led a fairly normal life." He clicks on one of the tabs and a window pops up with articles about Brooke, "She was captain of the cheer squad, senior class president, she started her own clothing line when she was only 17…."

One of the pictures catches Dean's eye and Sam's voice begins to fade. It must've been taken when she was in high school. She looked younger and her hair was longer, but she still had those eyes and that dimpled smile that could light up the whole room. A smile slowly appears on his face.

"….and then she moved back here to open one of her stores. She's been back for almost 2 years. And I must say, she really _is_ beautiful."

Sam notices he's not getting a response, "Dean?"

Dean clears his throat, "Yeah, she seems normal. But um…" He walks over and grabs his keys off the nightstand, "I think I should do some more investigating." He shrugs, "You know, go talk to her and see if I can find out anything that's maybe hidden under everything else."

Sam leans back in his chair and places his hands behind his hand, "So you're going to find out what's underneath all the clothes?"

Dean glares at Sam and says defensively, "No, Sam! I'm not going to try and see what's underneath her…I…"

"Dean! I meant her clothing line. Not her actual clothes."

Dean's face turns a shade of pink and he tries to coolly shrug it off, "Right! I knew that."

Sam smiles, "Of course you did."

Dean rolls his eyes and bolts out the door. Sam laughs and shakes his head, "What in the world is Castiel setting you up for, Dean?"

*****

Brooke gathered the last of her things at Clothes Over Bros. It would be getting dark soon and ever since she was attacked that one night, she didn't like staying once the sun went down. She hears the door chime, but doesn't look up.

"Sorry we're closed."

"Well it seems I'm too late for the sale. All the clothes are already gone."

Brooke's heart skips a beat when she hears the deep, familiar voice. She looks up and sees Dean smiling at her from across the counter.

She laughs at his remark, "Cute. Very cute."

Dean shrugs, "Yeah, I thought so."

"So what brings you here this evening? You need more directions?" She teases him with her eyes.

"Actually I do." Dean leans in a bit closer, "But I'd like for you to actually _show_ me this time."

Brooke's smile brightens, "Well you're in luck, Dean. I was just closing up. Where do you need to get to?"

Dean turns around to look outside, "I would like to see, "he spreads his arms out dramatically, "The Riverwalk!"

Brooke laughs, "Seriously? You're staring right at it."

Dean turns back around to face her, "Well yeah, but you have no idea how bad I am with directions. I mean, it might be right in front of me, but I still have a tendency to wander in the wrong direction. Unless of course… "He flashes that flirty grin of his, "I have someone to guide me."

Brooke slowly smiles and shakes her head, "Just so you know, I don't buy that line for one second."

Dean lightly laughs and looks down to hide his embarrassment, "Of course not."

Brooke pulls her purse up on her arm and gathers some papers, "But lucky for you, my date cancelled on me tonight," She walks toward the door and sighs dramatically, "So I have nothing better to do."

She turns around to see Dean propped up against the counter with his arms folded, smiling at her every move. He slowly walks toward her, "And just so _you_ know…." As he's about to pass her, he leans down very closely to her ear and whispers, "I don't buy _that_ line for one second."

Brooke looks at him with her mouth gaped open in amusement. Apparently two can play this game. Dean opens the door and motions for her to step outside, "Shall we?"

*****

Dean and Brooke walked slowly down the riverwalk, slurping on cherry icees.

"Wow." Dean takes another sip, "These are amazing."

Brooke smiles, "I told you Tree Hill had the best in the state."

"When my brother and I were kids, we would drink these things like crazy. I remember we'd play some sort of game like who could get brain freeze the fastest or whose tongue would turn red the quickest."

Brooke laughs, "You must be really close to your brother. I've always wondered what my life would be like if I had any siblings."

"Your parents didn't want more kids?"

Brooke sarcastically laughs, "Hardly! They didn't even want _me_."

Dean looks at Brooke, surprised. How could anyone not want this beautiful girl as their daughter? She was so fresh and full of life.

"I'm sorry."

Brooke looks at him and sadly smiles, "You know what? It's okay. I've made a good life for myself and I've made some amazing friends along the way. They're the best family I could ever ask for."

Dean smiles at her optimism. She was obviously a fighter, much like himself. Unfortunately, she saw more good in the world that he did.

"So how did Clothes Over Bros come about?"

Brooke takes another sip of her icee and smiles, "Well I was a 17 year old girl who found that designing clothes in her spare time helped ease her broken heart. After I graduated, I went to New York to try and get my fashions noticed. Eventually it paid off and Clothes Over Bros became a world-wide phenomenon. But now…"

Dean notices the sudden change of tone in her voice. He remembers the look of sadness she had the day before when he mentioned her store being almost empty, "Now…what?"

"Victoria has control over my company and from what I've heard, it's not doing so well."

"Is Victoria your manager?"

"Worse!" Brooke looks at Dean and sort of smiles, "She's my mother."

Dean looks at Brooke curiously. He definitely wasn't expecting that.

Brooke laughs, "Yeah, you're not the only one who wondered why the hell I let my bitch of a mother get involved. But I was a naïve, teenage girl who believed her when she told me she wanted things to change between us, "she shrugs, "I guess it's true when they say all a girl wants is her mother's love."

"So why did you let her have your company?"

Brooke sighs, "Some things happened that took me a long time to get over and I realized if she wanted the money that bad, then she could run the company herself. It was never about the money for me. It was about doing something I truly enjoyed. I guess I just figured if I started this line when I was only 17, I could find a way to start it up again and do it _my_ way."

Dean smiles at Brooke, "Feisty!" he leans closer to her, "I like that."

Brooke laughs and playfully pushes him away, "What about you? I hope your family business hasn't pushed you and your brother apart."

Brooke notices a change in Dean's eyes. They seemed to go darker. She wondered what kind of past Dean had. It seemed to be much darker than her own.

"Well, our family business is much different than yours. I'd be lying if I said it hasn't been hard. Sam and I have definitely been through a lot in the past 4 years. He's my little brother so I worry about him constantly, "he sighs," Especially right now.

Brooke looks at Dean, concerned. "Is he okay?" They both stop walking and Dean stands there a moment, looking down.

"For right now he is. But I'm worried that he's starting down a dark path." He finally looks back up at Brooke with pain in his eyes, "A path that, if he chooses to follow, he might never make it back."

Seeing Dean's pained expression, Brooke realizes that all she wants to do his take him in her arms and comfort him. Let him know there's nothing to worry about. She had only known him for a day, but it felt like a lifetime.

She lightly touches his arm and looks at him intensively, "Listen to me, Sam sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders and I'm sure whatever is tempting him right now, he'll remember where he came from and he'll choose the right path."

Dean slowly nods as he listens. Brooke smiles and says softly, "And besides, with a big brother like you watching over him, I have a feeling he knows that he's right where he should be. I may have only known you for like a day, "she lightly laughs but quickly gets serious again, "But I know that you would never let anything happen to him and I'm sure he knows that too."

Dean stares at Brooke. He wonders how this girl he's only known for such a short time can have such an effect on him. A teasing grin slowly appears on his face, "So, just how red is your tongue now?"

Brooke flashes a flirty smile and says in a low, sexy tone, "You show me yours and I'll show you mine."

Dean arches one of his eyebrows and smiles, "Is that so?"

Brooke nods. Dean reluctantly sticks his tongue out all the way then puts it back in.

Brooke laughs. She slowly sticks hers out in lady-like fashion then quickly pulls it back in. Dean laughs, "Tease."

"Oh look! I was hoping you would get to see this."

Dean's eyes follow where Brooke is pointing. Right in front of them is the most beautiful sunset he's ever seen. It was so surreal how the colors rippled in the water.

"This has always been my most favorite time of the day. You've never seen a sunset until you've seen it like this. Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"

"If you had asked me that two days ago, I would've said yes."

Brooke looks at Dean and sees him staring at her with his deep, green eyes. She felt an intensity between them that she's never really felt before with another guy. The moment starts to turn into something more when Brooke's cell phone rings. She nervously laughs, "I'm really sorry. Excuse me."

She turns around and fumbles through her purse to find her phone. She quickly takes it out and answers, "Hello?"

Dean exhales a sigh of relief. He just knew if Brooke's phone hadn't of rang, he would've gotten himself in much deeper than he needed to. There's no way he could get involved with one of their "clients". What would be the point? After their job is done, whatever it may be, they would leave and he would never see Brooke again.

"Well have you tried both of their cells?"

Brooke's words catch Dean's attention. Something wasn't right.

Brooke sighs, "I know, Haley. Just stay calm and wait for another hour or two. If you haven't heard from them by then, we'll go over to their house together and see what's going on. I'm sure everything is fine….Okay….bye."

Dean walks closer to Brooke, "Everything okay?"

Brooke turns around and Dean notices her worried expression, "I don't know. That was my friend, Haley, and she can't get in touch with two of our friends."

"Well how long has it been since you've heard from them?"

Brooke shrugs, "I haven't talked to Peyton since yesterday. I think it's the same for Haley. I'm sure it's just nothing and we're over-reacting."

Dean has a feeling that's not it at all, but he doesn't want Brooke to worry. He puts on a reassuring smile, "I'm sure they're fine."

Brooke nods and puts on a brave smile. Dean lightly touches her back, "Come on. I'll walk you to your car."

A few minutes later, Brooke gets in her car and waves at Dean before driving off. He smiles and waves back. A few moments after she's gone, Dean's expression turns into concern and he pulls out his phone to call Sam.

"Hey Sam, it's me. I think we've finally got something."

He walks to his car and unlocks the door, "I'm on my way back to the hotel right now to fill you in." He gets in and starts the engine, "See you soon." Dean ends the call and quickly drives off, never noticing that someone or _something_ had been watching their every move.


	4. Confession

**Chapter 3**

**Confession**

It was almost midnight when Brooke and Haley arrived at Lucas and Peyton's house. They quickly got out of Haley's car and walked toward the front porch.

Haley sighs, "I just can't sleep without knowing if Lucas and Peyton are okay. Thank goodness Skills didn't mind watching Jamie for me. I mean, if they were going somewhere, why didn't they just tell us?"

Brooke tries to reassure Haley, "I'm sure they're fine." She nudges Haley's arm and jokingly says, "Maybe they eloped."

Haley gives a sarcastic laugh, "I'll beat Lucas' ass if they did!"

Haley knocks on the door. After a minute passes and no one answers the door, she knocks louder, "Lucas! It's Haley and Brooke!"

Brooke walks over to one of the windows on the porch and cups her hands around her eyes to try and see in. She notices the kitchen light is on, "Well they must not have been planning on going too far. The kitchen light is on."

Haley sighs in frustration, "Did you notice their cars when we pulled in?"

Brooke shakes her head, "I didn't see anything, but they might be in the garage."

Haley nods, "Let's go look."

Brooke and Haley link arms as they start walking down the porch steps. As soon as they reach the ground, they hear a noise.

_Crack!_

They both stop abruptly. Brooke whispers, "Did you hear that?"

Haley nods, "Sounded like it came from around the back of the house."

Brooke and Haley stand there in silence, waiting to hear something else. Nothing happens so they start walking again. As soon as they start to go around the corner, they run into two tall figures. They both scream and Brooke reacts by hitting one of them on the side of the head.

Brooke realizes it's two men when the taller one with shaggy, brown hair steps forward and lightly grabs her by the arms, "Hey, hey! It's okay."

She tries to struggle free when she glances over and sees the other one bent over, clutching his head. He groans, "Dammit!"

Brooke realizes she recognizes the voice.

"Dean?!"

He grumbles and slowly walks forward, still touching his bruised temple, "Yeah…."

Brooke quickly steps forward, "I'm so sorry! I couldn't see anything!"

Haley glances from Brooke to Dean, "Wait, so this is Dean?"

Dean looks at Brooke and smirks, "You've been talking about me, huh?" He winces in pain as Brooke lightly touches his head.

"I can't believe you got whacked by a girl."

Brooke looks over at the other guy, who is trying not to laugh, "You must be Sam."

The guy smiles and extends his hand, "Yes, that would be correct."

Brooke smiles and shakes his hand. She glances back at Haley, "This is my friend, Haley."

Haley smiles and slowly waves. Brooke suddenly feels uneasy as she realizes something. She slowly turns back to Dean with a confused look on her face, "Wait a second. What are you doing here? How did you know where Lucas and Peyton lived?"

Dean worriedly glances at Sam. They had come there that night, never thinking they would run into anyone. Especially not Brooke.

"Well, uh…we were just driving by and saw you two standing on the porch. I decided to stop and see if there was an update on your friends."

Brooke stares at him, unconvinced, "We didn't hear your car pull up."

Dean knows from the look Brooke is giving him, she doesn't believe a word he's saying.

Haley looks at Brooke, and then glances at Dean. There was a great amount of tension building between the two. She clears her throat to break the silence, "Well thanks for your concern. I'm sure Brooke will keep you updated."

Dean continues to stare at Brooke, who looks away. She had only known Dean for two days and he was already lying to her. Something just wasn't right. She feels Haley touch her arm, "You ready to go? I need to get back home. Nathan will probably be calling soon."

Brooke nods, "Sure."

She glances at Dean as they start walking to Haley's car. Dean feels an urge to stop her. He couldn't let her leave like that.

He suddenly blurts out without thinking, "_We_ can take Brooke home."

Sam's eyes widen at Dean's suggestion, "Dean…"

Dean looks back at Sam, but ignores his concern.

Brooke stops suddenly and looks back at Dean. What was he up to? Haley looks at Brooke, unsure of what Brooke is feeling. "Uh, are you okay with that Brooke?"

Brooke stares at Dean, trying to understand his expression. He seemed very anxious. She wasn't sure if it was the best idea or not, but she wanted answers. And this might just be the perfect opportunity for that.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." She hugs Haley and gives her a reassuring smile as Haley gets into her car.

Ten minutes later, Dean pulls into Brooke's driveway. She opens the passenger side door and looks toward the backseat at Sam with a soft smile, "It was nice meeting you."

Sam smiles back, "You too."

Brooke gets out and shuts the door. Dean sighs as he takes the keys out of the ignition, "I'll be back in a minute."

"Dean! Don't do anything…." Dean shuts the car door before Sam can finish, "Stupid."

Brooke unlocks her front door and walks in. Dean hesitantly follows. Brooke lays her keys down on the side table, never turning to face Dean.

Dean stands there a few moments, feeling a bit awkward, "I'm sorry you still haven't heard from your friends. I'm sure they're okay. Maybe they…"

Brooke suddenly turns around with a fierce look on her face, "What were you doing there tonight? And no bullshit story about how you saw us on the porch and decided to stop. I want the truth!"

Dean is taken aback by Brooke's sudden anger.

"I never heard a car pull up and when we ran into you, you were both coming from around the _back_ of the house!"

"Brooke, I don't think now is the best time to…."

"Oh, I think now is the _perfect_ time to discuss this! If you want to continue to see me, you _will_ tell me how you knew where my friends lived and what the hell you were doing there snooping around their house! You said you and your brother are in the "family business". Well I'm really starting to wonder just what kind of family business it actually is!"

Dean stares at Brooke, seeing the persistence she had at the moment. She wasn't going to back down from this. He sighs as he hangs his head and lightly rubs his forehead, "You want the truth, huh?"

Brooke looks at Dean, waiting impatiently for his answer.

"Fine." Dean looks directly into Brooke's eyes, "My brother and I are hunters."

"Hunters." Brooke slightly shakes her head and mockingly says, "And what exactly is it that you _hunt_?"

Dean shuts his eyes for a second, preparing himself for what would come after his next answer. This wasn't going to be fun. He looks directly at Brooke again, "We hunt demons….and the supernatural."

All Brooke can do is stare blankly at Dean. She had no expression whatsoever. Dean wasn't sure how to respond to that. Finally she sighs and hangs her head. She says softly, "Dean. I said I didn't want anymore lies."

"Brooke, I'm being as honest as I _can_ be!"

Brooke looks back up at Dean with an incredulous look in her eyes, "You expect me to believe this?! That there are actually such things as monsters and ghosts and demons! And you and your brother _hunt_ them?"

Dean takes a step toward Brooke and his voice becomes more stern, "I know it sounds insane, Brooke! I thought the same thing until I saw one with my own eyes when I was only four years old! I was told time and time again that there were no monsters under my bed or in my closet. Then one night my mom is _murdered_ by one!"

"Dean, I just can't…."

Dean lightly wraps his hands around Brooke's arms and looks directly into her eyes, "I was sent here for a reason. I wasn't sure why, but now your friends are missing…."

Brooke scoffs and rolls her eyes at Dean's remark. How dare he bring her friends into this madness!

"Sam and I are beginning to think it's supernatural related. That's why we were investigating at the house tonight. You're not safe, Brooke. Something could happen to _you_!"

Brooke jerks away from Dean and looks at him with her eyes wide open, "Are you _threatening_ me?"

Confusion sets in on Dean's face and he quickly shakes his head, "Oh God, no! Brooke, I would never do that. I'm trying to protect you…"

Brooke shakes her head in disbelief and looks at Dean with disgust, "I can't believe you! You know for once I thought I had met a decent guy. Yeah, I could tell you had quite a past, but I never in my wildest imagination believed that you're actually insane! Just my luck, right?!"

Dean looks away from Brooke. He couldn't take the way she was looking at him. Yes, people had looked at him like that before, but it never hurt as much as it did this night.

"You need to go."

Dean glances at Brooke. He notices her eyes are filled with tears, but she's fighting them back as hard as she can. She won't even look him in the eyes.

"I'm serious. You need to get out of my house!" She finally looks back at Dean and says in a low, serious tone, "And just so we're clear, you stay _far_ away from me _and_ my friends!"

Dean slowly nods and tries to fight back the lump that's forming in his throat. He turns around and walks toward the open door. He looks back one last time, "You won't see me again."

He walks out and shuts the door behind him. Brooke quickly walks up to the door and locks it. She presses her head up against it and sighs. Tears start to fall down her cheeks.

Dean angrily walks back to the car and gets in. Sam stares at him from the passenger seat. He had heard bits and pieces of the conversation from the door being open.

"She knows doesn't she?"

Dean puts the keys in the ignition and starts to turn it, but he suddenly draws back and starts aggressively hitting the steering wheel, "Dammit!"

Sam watches Dean. It had been a long time since he had seen his brother become so undone like this. After a few moments, Dean slowly starts to regain his composure. He leans his head down on his hand that's gripping the steering wheel.

"Are we leaving Tree Hill?"

After a minute of silence, Dean finally lifts his head back up, but stares straight ahead, "No. We're not going anywhere. We'll keep a low profile and she'll never know we're here. I want to make sure she stays safe."

Sam nods.

"There's _something_ going on here, Sam, and we're going to find out what it is." Dean looks at Sam with intensity and determination in his eyes, "I'll be damned if I let anything happen to her."


	5. Numb

**Chapter 4**

**Numb**

Dean placed the newly loaded gun onto the table and moved on to the next one. Sam sat on his bed and watched Dean closely. He hadn't said much since the night before.

"Dean?" Sam digs in the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a piece of fabric, "There's something you need to see."

He walks over to Dean and hands the fabric to him. Dean examines it closely, "It looks like a torn piece of clothing. Where did you find this?"

"It was in the backyard at Lucas and Peyton's house."

Dean looks up at Sam, confused. "Why didn't you show it to me last night?"

Sam shrugs, "I didn't think it was the most appropriate time after what happened with you and Brooke."

Dean becomes agitated, "What about it? There was nothing between me and Brooke and I don't care what she thinks! We came here to do our job and we're going to do just that." Dean stands up and walks toward his bed. "The sooner we get it done, the faster we can get the hell out of here."

Sam watches Dean curiously. "Right. Well I'm going to go check out the house again while it's daylight outside. The neighbors should all be at work right?"

Dean says in a warning tone, "Sammy, don't get caught."

Sam rolls his eyes and leaves. Dean looks down at the piece of fabric again. He sighs and sits down on the side of the bed, "What the hell am I doing?"

"You're doing the right thing, Dean."

Dean quickly turns around and sees Castiel sitting on the other side of the bed.

"Cas!"

Dean's moment of relief is short lived when he remembers the mess he's in. He gets sarcastic, "Well it's about time you showed up. You know, I hate it when you send me on these wild goose chases."

Castiel stares blankly at Dean, "It has its purpose"

"Right. Well the girl that you claim needs to be saved doesn't want anything to do with me. She thinks I'm insane!"

"You did the right thing by telling her the truth. It was inevitable."

Dean sarcastically laughs, "Oh sure! It was the right thing because she went running away in the other direction!"

Castiel appears beside the table, curiously looking at all of the weapons. "Brooke Davis has a hard time trusting people. _You_ would know something about that."

"Thanks, Cas, but I don't need a shrink. " Dean stands up and walks across the room. "I can't help this girl if you don't tell me exactly what it _is_ that I'm supposed to be protecting her from."

Castiel looks up at Dean, who has his back turned toward Castiel. "You'll know soon enough." Castiel walks closer to Dean, "It seems that even the surrounding of friends can't protect one's self."

"You mean…"Dean quickly turns around only to find himself alone in the room. He replays what Castiel just said over and over in his head. He takes his cell phone out and starts dialing.

*****

The day seemed to drag on forever for Brooke. She couldn't help replaying what had happened between her and Dean the night before. It was something she'd like to forget, but somehow it was permanently etched in her brain.

It was finally night time and Brooke was visiting Nathan and Haley. She sat with Haley in the living room.

"I'm really sorry, Brooke. He seemed like a really great guy. I guess you can't trust _anyone_ these days."

Nathan walks in carrying three glasses of champagne, "Who are you talking about?"

Haley smiles teasingly at Brooke and says, "Not even your hot, sexy husband."

Nathan leans down toward Haley and says in a deep, sexy tone, "Oh really?" Haley pulls him down closer for a kiss.

Brooke smiles softly as she watches Nathan and Haley. They had been married for over seven years and they still seemed just as much in love as they were in high school. Brooke wondered if she would ever be that lucky.

Nathan hands Brooke her glass of champagne and sits down next to Haley, "Are we still talking about this Dean guy?"

Brooke rolls her eyes, "If it were up to _me_, we wouldn't be talking about him."

Nathan looks at Haley, "Hales, give it a rest. She obviously wants to forget about this guy."

Haley shrugs, "I'm just trying to find a loophole through this whole thing so that maybe he's not as crazy as he seems to be."

"Ha! Good luck with that one." Brooke takes a sip of her champagne. "I'm perfectly content with having Jamie as the only man in my life. I know he would _never_ let me down." She winks at Nathan and Haley.

Haley smiles, "Yeah, the poor thing was so exhausted when we got home from Nathan's basketball game. The moment his head hit that pillow, he was out."

Nathan laughs, "But not before he made sure we checked the closet and under his bed for monsters."

Brooke laughs, "Well, of course!" She takes another sip of champagne. "So how's the game going for you, Nathan?"

"Really good. There were some NBA scouts at the game tonight."

Haley pats his leg, "You were amazing! I'm sure you'll be getting a call soon, Nathan." She kisses him on the cheek.

Nathan smiles and pulls Haley closer, "I just hate being away from you and Jamie so much."

Brooke sympathizes, "I'm sure Jamie understands. He wants you to get into the NBA so badly. We _all_ do!"

"Thanks, Brooke." Nathan shifts in his seat and starts to stand up, "I forgot to lock the basement door when I came back up. I'll be right back." He places his champagne on the table and walks off through the kitchen.

"So," Haley sips her champagne, "About Dean…."

Brooke throws her head back in exasperation, "Haley!" She lightly laughs, "Please don't start again!"

Haley laughs, "I'm just kidding!" Haley and Brooke sit there in silence for a few moments, "But what about his brother, Sam? He was really cute! Do you think he's normal enough…."

Brooke's mouth drops open in shock and she throws one of the couch pillows at Haley. They both start laughing.

_Crash! Thud!_

Brooke and Haley look towards the kitchen, startled.

"What the hell was that?!"

Haley quickly stands up and rushes toward the kitchen. "Nathan!"

The back door is wide open. Haley stops abruptly when she gets to the top of the basement stairs. She screams, "Oh my God!" Haley rushes down the stairs to Nathan, who is on the floor unconscious. His arms and legs are all bent in awkward ways underneath him. She tries not to move him.

"Nathan! Nathan, open your eyes! You have to be okay! Please!"

Brooke gasps when she sees Nathan. She rushes down the stairs, "Haley! What happened?!"

Haley screams, tears running down her face. "I don't know!"

She looks down and notices all the blood coming out from behind his head, "Oh my God! There's….there's so much blood!"

Brooke tries to swallow the big lump that's forming in her throat. This can't be happening. "He's gonna be okay, Haley. He's going to be fine!"

Brooke and Haley look up towards the top of the stairs when they hear things being thrown around in the house. Haley looks at Brooke, terrified, "There's someone in the house!"

"Jamie!"

Brooke runs up the stairs. She expects to run into whoever is in the house, but when she gets into the living room, no one is there. Just bits of furniture that had been thrown around. She rushes up the stairs and into Jamie's room.

As soon as she opens his door, she sees a dark figure looming over Jamie as he sleeps. She gasps. The dark figure suddenly looks up at the sound.

Brooke falls back against the wall, frightened, when she sees the figure's red, glowing eyes staring back at her. "Get away from him!"

Jamie's eyes slowly open and he sees the dark figure. He screams. Brooke wraps her hand around the handle of the bat she feels next to her. When the figure doesn't budge, she raises the bat and swings at him. It goes flying up against the wall.

Brooke pulls Jamie into her arms, "It's okay, Jamie. Just hold on tight okay?" She runs down the stairs and starts to head back through the kitchen when she's stopped by a man and woman in the doorway.

The man tilts his head slowly to the side, "Where do you think you're going?"

The man and the woman start walking towards Brooke. She slowly backs up, still holding Jamie tightly. The man and woman are joined by another man. Brooke realizes it's the one that was upstairs. She hears the bones in his neck cracking as he moves his neck from side to side, never seeming to faze him. He smiles evilly at Brooke, "They didn't tell me you were a swinger."

Brooke hears Haley screaming from the basement, "Don't touch them! Don't touch my baby!

Jamie's eyes widen in horror, "Mama!"

Brooke lightly pushes Jamie's head back down on her shoulder. Tears start to form in her eyes, "Shh. It's okay, Jamie. Everything is going to be okay."

The woman laughs. Brooke is taken aback by how inhuman the laugh sounds. "Keep telling yourself that, darling."

The man and the woman's eyes both flash to a deep, black color. The third man's eyes flash to the glowing, red again. They move closer to Brooke and Jamie. Brooke feels the wall up against her back. There's nowhere else to go.

She whispers in Jamie's ear, "Close your eyes, Jamie." Jamie shuts his eyes tight. Brooke does the same, tightening her hold on Jamie. It gets darker as the demons' presence close in on them. A single tear falls down Brooke's cheek.

Suddenly, the front door bursts open. Never opening their eyes, Brooke and Jamie can hear a rough scuffling then they jump as they hear three gun shots echo through the air.

"Brooke!"

Brooke's eyes fly open when she hears the familiar voice. She sees Dean and Sam rushing towards her. "Oh my God, Dean!"

Dean touches her face and the back of Jamie's head, looking from Brooke to Jamie urgently, "Are you okay? Are you both okay?" Jamie nods.

Sam rushes off into the kitchen to look for Brooke's friends.

Brooke falls forward into Dean, still holding Jamie. "I'm so sorry, Dean! I'm so sorry I didn't believe you!"

"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. You're both okay."

Brooke looks directly at Dean, her eyes wide in terror. "They were demons weren't they?"

Dean stares at her and slowly nods.

"Dean! You need to get down here!"

Dean looks towards the kitchen where he heard Sam's voice. Brooke gasps, "Nathan!"

Dean rushes toward the kitchen and down the stairs. He sees Sam knelt down next to Haley, who is crying hysterically as she holds Nathan's head in her lap. Dean moves closer, "Is he alive?"

Sam looks up at Dean, "Barely."

Haley looks at Sam, "Is Jamie okay? Please tell me my baby is okay."

Sam nods and touches her shoulder, "He's fine, Haley. Brooke has him upstairs."

Haley exhales a sigh of relief. She lightly caresses Nathan's face. "Nathan, listen to me. You're not going to die! You hear me?! You're going to be just fine."

Dean and Sam share a look of uncertainty.

*****

Brooke is sitting in a chair in the hospital waiting room, with Jamie's head in her lap. She lightly runs her fingers through his blonde hair, trying to keep him calm as he sleeps. Dean walks up and kneels down in front of her. "Hey. How are you holding up?"

Brooke slowly meets his eyes and shrugs. "I don't really feel _anything_ right now. I'm numb."

Dean nods, "That's understandable."

Brooke stares at Dean, "I can't tell you how sorry I am that I didn't believe you."

Dean shakes his head, "Brooke, you don't owe me an apology. To be honest, I would've thought I was crazy too." He lightly laughs, "Sometimes I think I _am_."

Brooke mouth slowly curves up into a half-hearted smile.

"You know it's okay to cry."

Brooke shakes her head, "No, I can't do that. I have to remain strong for Haley and Jamie."

Dean watches her a few more seconds then lightly nudges her knee as he gets up. He walks over to Sam, "Brooke's not doing so well."

Sam looks over Dean's shoulder at Brooke and Jamie. "Yeah, I figured as much. What about Jamie?"

Dean sighs," He's only five years old. I'm sure he'll forget about it in time."

Haley slowly walks around the corner, unable to look anyone in the eyes.

Brooke lightly lifts Jamie's head and lays it back down as she gets up to meet Haley. Dean and Sam rush over to her.

Brooke touches Haley's shoulder, "Well? How is he? What did the doctor say?"

"Um…" Haley slowly looks up at Brooke. "He's alive, but he's…he's in a coma."

"Haley…"

"Both of his legs are broken and he has some cracked ribs," Haley stops to try and regain her composure, "The blunt force to his head is causing his brain to b-bruise and swell." She inhales deeply, "They said if he continues to hang on for the next 48 hours, they'll have a better idea if he's going to pull through this or not."

Brooke pulls Haley into her arms and holds her tight. Haley starts sobbing, "I can't lose him, Brooke! I just can't…." After a few more minutes, Haley slowly opens her eyes and sees Jamie asleep in the chair. She slowly pulls away from Brooke and starts wiping her eyes, "I don't know how to tell Jamie."

Brooke looks at Haley, "Jamie is strong. You'll both get through this together."

Haley slowly nods as she stares at Jamie. She looks back at Brooke, "Um, why don't you go home and get some rest? We've all been through a lot tonight. I can't thank you enough for protecting Jamie."

Brooke shakes her head, "I'm not leaving you, Haley."

Haley touches Brooke's shoulder, "Jamie and I will be fine. I promise. You need some rest. You can come back first thing in the morning."

"Haley, I can't…"

Sam steps closer, "I'll stay here with Haley and Jamie." He looks at Brooke, "She's right. You need to get some rest. Dean can take you home."

Brooke looks back at Haley, unsure. Haley rubs Brooke's shoulder, "I promise you, Brooke. If anything changes, I'll call you."

Brooke sighs, giving in. She hugs Haley once more and walks over to kiss Jamie on the cheek.

Dean looks at Sam, "Keep me posted."

Sam nods.

Brooke looks back at Haley one last time then leaves as Dean follows her.

*****

Brooke opens her front door and quickly turns on the light. Dean moves past her, anxiously searching all the rooms before Brooke enters them. She shuts the door and locks it. After a few minutes, Dean returns to the living room.

"All the rooms are clear. But if you don't mind, I'd like to stay here tonight just as a precaution."

Brooke slowly nods. "I have a guest room you can stay in."

Brooke goes into the guest room to set it up. Dean removes his jacket and places it on the back of the couch. He walks over to the fireplace as he notices some pictures on the hearth. He looks at each one closely, trying to imagine what Brooke's past was like.

"The guest room is ready for you."

Dean turns around to face Brooke. "Thank you."

She gives a half smile, but it quickly fades away. "Dean?" She looks nervously down at her feet, "What happened tonight…it…" She sighs and looks back up, "It wasn't coincidental was it?"

Dean stares at Brooke, not expecting that question. He wasn't sure how to answer that, but she deserved to know the truth. He slowly shakes his head.

"And Lucas and Peyton are….they're most likely..."

Dean nods.

"Oh my God…"

Dean steps closer to Brooke, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Brooke is unable to look him in the eyes at first, but she takes in a deep breath and forces a half smile. "I'm just….I think I'm gonna go take a shower. It might do me some good."

Brooke starts to walk down the hallway, but turns back around and looks Dean directly in the eyes, "Thank you."

They stare at each other for a few moments then Brooke breaks the moment and rushes down the hallway. Dean sighs and runs his hand through his hair. Brooke came so close to death that night. If he and Sam had gotten there just a few moments later, she wouldn't be here right now. Dean shudders at the thought.

He looks toward the hallway as he hears the shower turn on. Dean slowly walks down the hallway to the closed door of the bathroom. He leans up against the wall next to the door and slides down to the floor. He didn't want to leave her alone. Anything could happen.

Brooke slowly undresses and steps into the shower. She gasps as the hot water washes over her body. It was definitely what she needed. She presses her right hand up against the wall and hangs her head underneath the showerhead. Her eyes slowly close.

Flashes of the night start coming back to her.

_She remembers sitting there laughing and cutting up with Nathan and Haley. Suddenly it flashes to Nathan's mangled body at the bottom of the stairs._

Brooke flinches at the memories.

_Brooke running in to Jamie's room. The red, glowing eyes staring back at her. Swinging the bat at the demon. Her and Jamie running into the man and the woman._

Brooke's breathing gets heavier and heavier as the flashes become quicker.

_She sees the two men and the woman backing her and Jamie up against the wall. They close in on her. Haley tells Brooke that Nathan is in a coma. She sees Nathan at the bottom of the stairs again….running through the house….the red, glowing eyes…Lucas and Peyton._

"Brooke? Are you okay?"

Brooke hears Dean's muffled voice on the other side of the bathroom door, but she's unable to answer him. She clutches herself as the tears start to come.

A few moments later, she feels a hand on her shoulder. She quickly turns and finds herself enveloped in Dean's arms. She starts sobbing, her tears covering his grey t-shirt.

Dean holds Brooke's head close to his chest, "Shh. It's okay. I'm right here."

Brooke continues to sob uncontrollably. She can't even catch her breath.

Dean pulls her even closer and caresses her wet hair, "Hey. Look at me."

Dean cups Brooke's face in his hands and gently lifts it up to meet his eyes. Droplets of water roll off his now wet hair and eyelashes. Brooke slowly opens her red, swollen eyes, the tears still flowing.

"I'm not going anywhere. You're safe now."

Brooke slowly nods, letting him know that she believed him. That's all he needed. He pulls her back in and holds her close as the hot water washes over both of them.


	6. Unexpected Turn

**Chapter 5**

**Unexpected Turn**

Dean sat in the chair next to the bed and stared at Brooke as she slept. It was close to six o'clock in the morning. She had only been asleep for a few hours.

After Brooke's emotional breakdown, Dean had wrapped her in a towel and carried her to the bedroom. He lightly laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers up over her. Although she was physically and emotionally exhausted, she didn't want to give in to sleep.

"I don't want to close my eyes." Brooke softly said as she stared at the ceiling, "I'm afraid I'll _see_ it all again."

"Brooke, " Dean leaned in closer, "I know you're scared right now. I can't imagine what you're feeling. But you need to get some sleep. Haley is going to need your support tomorrow and I know you want to be there for her."

Brooke slowly nodded and her eyes began to fill with tears again. Dean resisted the urge to crawl in the bed with her and hold her all night. He had already gone too far by allowing himself to get too close to her. Something that he knew he would eventually regret. He lightly swept her hair away from her eyes.

"Close your eyes," Dean whispered. "I'm right here."

Brooke stared into Dean's eyes, looking for reassurance. She wanted to trust him so badly, but trusting someone never came easily for Brooke Davis. Maybe she was stubborn, but she guarded herself very carefully when it came to men. She never allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of anyone. Until tonight.

Unable to resist any longer, she slowly closed her eyes and a few moments later, she was asleep.

Dean had been awake ever since then. He listened closely to every sound, making sure there were no surprise visits. All he heard was Brooke's soft breathing as she slept.

No matter how hard he tried not to, his eyes kept drifting back to Brooke. He didn't think it was possible, but she was even more beautiful when she was sleeping.

Dean looks toward the sound of his phone vibrating on the nightstand. He quickly answers and says in a low tone, "Hey Sam. Hold on a second."

Dean walks out into the hallway and speaks quietly, "Any changes?"

"No. Nothing has changed." Sam replies with a sigh. "It doesn't look good, Dean."

"How's Haley?"

"She's trying to be strong for Jamie, but I can tell this is killing her." There's a slight pause on the other end of the phone. "Dean…I can't help but have a bad feeling."

Dean turns and looks inside the bedroom at Brooke, who is still asleep.

"Yeah." He sighs, "I know what you mean."

*****

Haley sits at Nathan's bedside, holding his hand. She stares at him through swollen, red eyes. The night had been one of the longest nights she had ever had to endure. She was afraid to close her eyes, even for a second. Her mind was set that if she stayed awake and kept talking to Nathan, eventually he would open his eyes and everything would be okay again.

"Nathan..." she whispers, "Just open your eyes, baby. I'm right here."

She watches him closely, waiting for the littlest gesture. Nothing happens. She quickly wipes away the tears that are about to fall. She can't lose it. Not now.

There's a knock at the door and Sam pokes his head in.

"Hey."

Haley takes in a deep breath and looks up to meet his eyes. "Hi."

Sam walks in and closes the door behind him. He holds up a cup of coffee.

"I brought you some coffee. I figured you would need a pick-me-up." He softly smiles as he hands her the cup.

Haley forces a smile of her own. "Thanks, Sam. I really appreciate it." She takes a small sip. "Thank you for taking Jamie to school. He really wanted to stay with me, but I just think being at school and around his friends is the best thing for him right now."

Sam nods, "No thanks necessary. He's a great kid."

Haley slowly nods and a genuine smile appears on her face. "He gets more and more like his father every single day." She looks up at Sam, "What about you? Which parent did you take after?"

Sam is caught off guard by her question, "Uh…" He looks down and nervously laughs.

Haley realizes she might have asked the wrong question, "I'm really sorry, Sam. I shouldn't have…"

"No. No, it's fine." Sam slowly looks up. "My mom." He gives a hesitant smile, "I'd like to say I take after my mom."

Haley could see a pain in his eyes. It was obvious that Dean and Sam had a past that maybe no one could understand. She softly says, "I'm sure your mom is very proud of you."

Sam shakes his head, "I'm not so sure about that. I _tried_ to make her proud, but I've fallen short these past few months." He tries to swallow the lump that's building in this throat, "I don't think she'd like the man I've become."

Haley stares at Sam. He had a look of frustration and terror on his face. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. "Sam—"

"You know—" Sam says hesitantly, "Your relationship with Nathan reminds me of my parents'."

"Really?" Haley looks at Sam curiously, then back to Nathan.

"Yeah." Sam sits down in the chair at the foot of the bed, "They shared a love that not many people find. It was pure and it was true." He smiles, "I was told that every time they looked at each other, if was as if they were the only ones in the room."

Haley smiles through her tear-filled eyes, "That's lovely." She squeezes Nathan's hand. A few moments later, she looks back at Sam with confusion. "Wait…you were talking about them as if…as if that were in the past. What happened?"

Sam realizes his mistake. He was trying to make Haley feel better, but really he was only about to make it worse. There was no going back now. "My mom was murdered when I was only a baby."

Haley gasps, "Sam, I'm so sorry. I…"

"By a demon."

Haley stops abruptly, trying to comprehend what Sam had just told her. "Wow—"

"Haley, I—" Sam gets up and walks toward Haley.

She looks up at him sadly, "I guess our love stories really are very similar."

"No!" Sam kneels down to where Haley is. She continues to look at Nathan. "That's where the similarities end. Listen to me, Haley. You _still_ have Nathan. He _still_ has a chance. Do not give up."

Haley nods, but never takes her eyes off of Nathan.

*****

Brooke slowly opens her eyes to find an empty chair beside her bed. Had she dreamt it all? Was Dean ever really here? She carefully lifts up and leans her back against the headboard. Her head was swimming and she wasn't sure what actually happened the night before. Of course, she remembered all the horrible parts. The demons, Nathan's mangled body at the bottom of the stairs, Dean and Sam, the doctor telling Haley that Nathan was in a coma. But everything after that was a blur. She vaguely remembered turning on the shower, getting in…

Then it all starts flooding back. She remembers the unexpected tears, two strong arms enveloping her, being carried to her bed. Brooke looks confused as she looks down to find herself in her rubber ducky pajamas. She didn't remember changing into these. Dean…did he…

"Oh my God!" Brooke covers her face in embarrassment.

"You're awake."

Brooke quickly drops her hands and pulls the sheets up over her chest the moment she hears Dean's voice.

"Don't you knock?!"

"Oh come on, Brooke. It's not anything I haven't seen before."

Brooke's mouth gapes open and she glares at him, "That's not funny!"

Dean smirks as he hands her a cup of coffee, "Good morning to you, too."

Brooke carefully watches Dean as he sits down in the chair, "Did you do this?"

Dean looks at Brooke, confused. "Do what?"

Brooke waves her hand over her body, to indicate her pajamas.

"Oh that." A goofy smile appears on his face, "Yeah, the ducks were just too good to resist."

Brooke rolls her eyes and takes a sip of the coffee. She notices the mug is one of her own. "I see you made yourself at home."

"You really aren't a morning person are you?" Dean says dryly, agitated by her tone.

Brooke sighs and softens, "I'm really sorry. There's just so many things I'm trying to get sorted in my head." She pauses a moment, "The crazy thing is, I was kind of hoping that it was all a dream."

Dean shakes his head, "That's not crazy at all."

"When I woke up and I didn't see you there, a part of me felt relieved because I was convinced it actually _was_ a dream. But then a part of me started to panic because…I thought you were gone."

Dean stares at Brooke, "I told you I'm not going anywhere."

Brooke nods, "I know, but…I happen to know that people have a hard time keeping their word."

Dean leans in closer, never taking his eyes off Brooke. "Not me."

A small smile slowly appears on Brooke's face. It's silent for a few moments as Dean and Brooke start to get lost in the moment. Then Brooke breaks the stare and starts looking around frantically, "What time is it?"

"It's after 9."

"Oh my God! I've got to get to the hospital! Haley needs me! Jamie…"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Dean lightly grabs Brooke by the arms and sits her back down on the bed. "Wait just a minute."

"But I need to--"

Brooke is cut off by Dean's finger on her lips, "I talked to Sam earlier. He's with Haley. There's been no change, but Haley is staying strong."

"And Jamie?"

"Sam took Jamie to school."

Brooke slowly nods. She suddenly becomes aware of how close Dean's face is to hers. There's only three inches separating their lips. Brooke feels her mouth go dry. She suddenly felt thirsty and the way her heart was pounding in her chest, it seemed the only way to quench that thirst would be for Dean's lips to touch her own.

Dean finds himself staring into Brooke's eyes. Everything else seemed to fade away. His eyes slowly wander down to her lips. It would be so easy to kiss her. Normally, he would just go for it. But this time was so much different. He couldn't allow himself to be close to her. They would both end up getting hurt.

Dean looks away as the cold realization hits him. He could never be with her like that.

"So, um—" Dean clears his throat and stands up. "How long have you known Lucas and Peyton?"

Brooke watches him walk across the room, confused. What the hell just happened?

"You're talking as if they're still alive."

Dean looks at Brooke and shrugs, "You never know."

"Dean, "Brooke says softly, "Don't play games with me like that. I'm not going to be naïve about this anymore. They're gone." She pauses and looks away, "And talking about them isn't going to bring them back."

"No, it won't." He sits back down in the chair, "But talking about them might just ease the pain."

"You're not going to let me go see Haley until I give in to this "group therapy" session. Are you?"

Dean just smiles and shrugs.

Brooke rolls her eyes, "Fine."

Dean props his feet up on the bed and leans back in the chair, making himself comfortable.

"Well, Peyton was my best friend and Lucas was my first love."

Dean arches his eyebrows in amusement. Brooke smiles at Dean's expression, "You look surprised."

"Well, I'm wondering if this is going to be one of those really confusing stories where you have to keep up."

Brooke laughs, "You should be fine."

Dean wasn't sure about that. The thought of having to hear about Brooke's first love made him tense up. He would have to hear about a guy who was actually able to have a relationship with her – A guy who would always occupy a special place in Brooke's heart. Something Dean could never have.

Brooke continued on for the next hour, telling Dean all about the tangled web her and her friends had weaved. Once she finished she looked over at Dean, who had been silent the whole time. Except asking a few questions here and there.

"That's my story. And that's why I have a hard time trusting people."

"I just don't see how you could forgive both of them for betraying you like that."

Brooke shrugs, "Peyton was my best friend. She couldn't help how she felt. And neither could Lucas. Who am I to tell two people that I love that they can't be together? If I truly loved them, I would want them to be happy."

"Even if it means sacrificing your own happiness?"

Brooke looks down, obviously saddened by Dean's statement. "I know it may seem crazy, but I truly believe that my happiness will come one day. Maybe my destiny is written and maybe it's not. Either way, I just want to live life to the fullest. You know?"

She looks back up at Dean, forcing a smile. Dean nods. Brooke quickly gets up and starts walking to the door. "I need to get ready so I can go see Haley."

Dean stands up, "Yeah, of course."

Brooke stops at the doorway and turns back around to look at Dean, "I didn't tell you the whole truth about why I was in such a bad mood this morning. The truth is, I was angry at myself."

Dean looks at Brooke, confused.

"I told you before that I have a hard time trusting people. I keep my guard up all the time. Even if I'm in a relationship with someone. It never lasts because I never let them completely in." She pauses and lets out a light laugh, "I've only known you for a few days and yet you saw me in my most vulnerable state last night. I let my guard down and I shouldn't have."

"Brooke—"

"But this morning I was also scared. I was scared because—" Brooke looks in straight in the eyes. "You're still _here_."

She softly smiles and then quickly turns to walk down the hallway.

Dean stands there, trying to absorb everything she had just said. He couldn't help but think that it was a good thing Lucas Scott was dead. Because if he wasn't, Dean might have had to kill him with his bare hands for hurting Brooke like he did. Because of his betrayal, Brooke's life would be forever scarred.

But he also couldn't help but feel a sense of giddiness knowing that he seemed to put a crack in that wall of hers. Maybe he could help her tear the wall down for good. Even if it wasn't for him, but for some lucky guy in the future that was worthy to have the love of the beautiful, Brooke Davis.

"Hello Dean."

Dean looks back up to find Castiel standing in front of the bedroom door.

"Cas! Are you crazy?"

Dean quickly goes to the door and looks outside to make sure Brooke isn't in earshot. He shuts the door behind him and looks at Castiel, angrily.

"You know, it's bad enough that you just pop in on me out of nowhere all the time, but you can't do that when I'm in someone else's house."

Castiel is unfazed by Dean's anger. "There's been a change of plans, Dean."

Dean's expression goes from anger to concern in just a second, "What does that mean?"

"It means your task here is done."

Dean is shaken by the unexpected anger that has suddenly built up inside him. "Wait just a damned minute here, Cas! You can't just send me here to protect this girl and then all of a sudden ask me to leave when it's obvious whatever is going on here isn't even close to being finished!"

"Dean, I'm sorry."

Dean looks at Cas with determination in his eyes, "I'm _not_ leaving."

Dean starts toward the door.

"There's no negotiating this, Dean." Cas raises his voice in a warning tone, "You must leave Tree Hill _tonight_!"


	7. Don't Let Me Go

**Chapter 6**

**Don't Let Me Go**

Sam stood against the wall by the door. He listened as Haley continued to go down memory lane and talk to Nathan about all the times they had shared together. She started doing this in hopes that it might trigger something in Nathan to make him wake up.

Listening to Haley's stories for over an hour, Sam had begun to feel slightly envious towards Nathan and the relationship he shared with Haley. It seemed to be a relationship that could stay strong against anything and everything. It's the type of relationship he had imagined having with Jessica once upon a time.

His thoughts are interrupted by a knock at the door and Brooke peeking in.

"Hey Hales." Brooke says softly as she makes her way over to Haley and hugs her. "How are you holding up?"

Haley breaks the hug and shakes her head, "Not too good. There hasn't been any significant change with Nathan and time's running out."

"Hey," Brooke rubs Haley's shoulders, "You don't know that. No doctor can give you any specific time frame. They can give an estimate and that's it. The rest is up to Nathan." She smiles reassuringly at Haley, "And we both know that Nathan is not going to leave you and Jamie."

Haley nods and sits back down. Brooke pulls a chair up next to Haley and sits.

Sam watches as the two engage in conversation. Dean comes up beside him.

"Sam, "He whispers. "We need to talk."

Sam nods and follows Dean out the door. Brooke watches as the two disappear. She wanted to know what was going on. Dean didn't say anything the whole ride to the hospital. Something in him had changed. But what?

Dean and Sam slip into an empty corridor.

"What's up?" Sam questions Dean.

Dean sighs, "We have to leave."

"Leave?" Sam looks at Dean curiously. "What are you talking about?"

Dean rolls his eyes and starts pacing, "Castiel came to me this morning and said that our task here is done and we must leave Tree Hill by tonight!"

"Dean, we can't leave right now. There's no way I can leave Haley like this…and I know you don't want—"

Dean cuts in, aggravated, "Sam! We don't have a choice! Castiel isn't budging on this and I can't help but feel like something _will_ happen if we _don't_ leave."

Sam folds his arms across his chest, "So what exactly are we supposed to do?" He gets sarcastic, "Do the angels have a new "task" for us?"

"I don't know, Sam!" Dean stops pacing and looks angrily at Sam. "All I know is you need to say your goodbyes and we need to go!"

"_My_ goodbyes?! Dean, what about Brooke? You can't just leave town without telling her!"

Dean sighs and then quickly walks away. Sam stands there, confused about everything that just went down.

_Two hours later…_

Dean and Brooke had already left. There was a bit of tension between the two of them. Haley noticed it the moment they came in. But Brooke never said anything and Haley didn't want to pry.

Haley leans down and kisses Nathan on the forehead. She stands up and looks over at Sam, who had been sitting in one of the chairs, checking his watch every fifteen minutes.

"I was thinking about going to get something to drink. I think there's a vending machine down the hallway." She sighs. The past 24 hours were becoming one big blur. She's not even sure what she's been saying half the time.

Sam stands up, "I can go get it. You just stay here."

Haley shakes her head, "No, it's okay. I need to get out of the room for a few minutes. Would you like to come with me?"

Sam nods, "Sure." He was actually surprised by her invitation. He assumed she wanted to be alone. But he guessed now was as good a time as any to tell her he has to leave.

Haley squeezes Nathan's hand one more time before walking toward the door. Sam holds it open for her and they both walk out. Haley cups her face in her hands and sighs. She runs her fingers through her hair.

"I feel like this is a never-ending day. Sometimes I feel like Nathan has been in this hospital for weeks now and sometimes I feel like it just happened."

They slowly start walking down the hallway. It's silent for a few moments. Haley looks up at Sam, realizing just how much taller he is than her. She softly smiles.

"I haven't had the chance to really say thank you."

Sam shrugs, "No thanks necessary. It's our job."

Haley stops walking and touches Sam shoulder, "No, that's not what I meant." Sam stops and looks at her curiously. Haley continues, "I understand that saving us is part of your job. But you didn't have to stay the night with me here. You didn't have to take Jamie to school for me. You've sat in the room with me, just listening. Never expecting anything from me."

He was caught off guard with the way Haley was looking at him. She had such sincerity in her eyes. Something he hadn't seen in a long time. It made him realize this goodbye thing was going to be much harder than he thought.

"Listen, Haley." Sam sighs and glances down at the floor, unsure of what to say. "I can't stay." Sam looks back up to find Haley searching his eyes with her own. "Oh." She says, "Okay." She stammers a bit, "I-I understand…"

Sam sighs, "There's just a lot going on right now that needs to be taken care of. It's for the best." _If she only knew, _Sam thought to himself. He forces a smile, "Trust me."

"You know," Haley nervously laughs, "We didn't even know each other two days ago and now--," She pauses and smiles, "Now I feel like we're old friends."

Sam smiles back, "Same here."

*****

Brooke tosses her keys onto the kitchen counter and rests her head in her hands. She hears Dean shut the front door. She waits for him to walk closer, but he doesn't move. After a few minutes of silence, she composes herself and walks toward the refrigerator.

"Would you like something to drink?" She opens the door and starts naming off some beverages. "Don't really have a lot right now. There's some tea, lemonade, sprite…beer?" She lightly laughs.

"Actually," Dean finally speaks, "I, uh…I can't stay."

Brooke quickly lifts up and looks at him over the refrigerator door. He still hasn't moved from that one spot. "Okay…" She brushes the hair away from her eyes, "That's fine. I mean, you and Sam go do what you have to do. I'll be here…"

"It's not like that, Brooke." Dean lowers his head. This is exactly what he was trying to avoid. He tries to find the right words to use here, but none of them could possibly make things any easier. He looks back up at Brooke. "Sam and I… we're leaving Tree Hill."

Brooke shuts the refrigerator door and slowly walks around the counter. "So, um…I guess everything is taken care of right? We're safe?"

Dean forces a reassuring smile, "Yeah." He hated lying to her. But there's no way he could tell her what he was really thinking. What he was feeling. The truth is, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was far from over. But he had been given orders. What else is he supposed to do?

"Everything can go back to normal."

Brooke stares and softly says, "Normal…I don't think things are ever going to be normal for us anymore."

Dean steps closer, his face filling with concern. He had said the wrong thing, "Brooke—"

Brooke lightly laughs, "It's okay." She gives him a teasing smile, "You should know by now, I can be pretty strong."

Dean smiles back, "Of course."

"So, this is why you've been acting strange all morning. I was worried it was something I had done."

Dean decides to keep the playfulness going, so it doesn't get too serious. "Well, yes and no. I just can't be around someone who owns a pair of rubber ducky pajamas." He shrugs his shoulders.

"Ah!" Brooke laughs and playfully hits him on the arm, "Shut up!"

They laugh a few more moments, then the tone changes. They both grow quiet. Brooke watches as Dean averts his eyes away from her.

"I'm sure you hear it all the time, but…thank you. For everything."

Dean slowly lifts his eyes to meet hers once more. He nods and nervously clears his throat, "I…uh…" he points toward the door. "I need to get going." He starts to turn around, but feels Brooke's hand lightly grab his arm. His breath catches from her touch. "Dean—"she says, almost breathless.

He slowly turns around. There's a lot of emotion in her eyes. She steps closer and he feels himself stop breathing. Before he can worry about what's about to happen next, Brooke quickly throws her arms around him, pulling him in for a hug.

Brooke whispers, trying to hold back the surprising emotions that are filling her, "Would you hold it against me if I said I didn't want you to go?"

Dean tries to suppress his own emotions, "I'll let you know the next time we see each other." And with that, he pulls away, turns around, and walks toward the door.

"Wait…" Brooke quickly says.

Dean hesitates then slightly turns back around, his hand on the doorknob.

"So I'll see you again?"

Dean could've easily told her yes. But they both knew he'd be lying. Dean knew very well this would be the last time their paths would cross.

He smiles, "Goodbye, Brooke."

Dean walks out the door, leaving Brooke standing in the middle of the foyer, alone.

"Goodbye, Dean." she whispers.

*****

_Three days later…_

Brooke rushes into Nathan's hospital room, carrying a tray of drinks and a bag of donuts.

"Hey!" she says, almost out of breath. "Sorry it took so long."

Jamie rushes past her to Haley. "Hey mama!" He jumps up into Haley's lap.

"Oh my goodness!" Haley squeezes Jamie closer to her, "How was school?"

"Great!" He starts talking excitedly about everything they did.

Brooke smiles as she places the tray on the table. She hands Haley one of the drinks. "Thanks." Haley softly smiles at her.

"Brooke let me pick out the donuts!" Jamie runs over to the bag and pulls out a chocolate one with sprinkles. He rushes it back over to Haley, "I picked this one out for you, mama."

"Oh thanks, baby…" She smiles and ruffles his blond hair, "My favorite!"

Brooke sits down in the chair next to Haley. "So, how's he doing today?"

"Uh…" Haley hesitates, "No change."

They watch as Jamie takes Nathan's hand, "Hey daddy. You won't believe what I got to do at school today."

Brooke glances over at Haley, whose eyes have begun to fill with tears as she watches Jamie. Brooke squeezes Haley's knee, letting her know she's there for her. Haley replies with a smile. As Jamie continues to talk to Nathan about his day, Haley quickly wipes away her tears and turns more toward Brooke. "So uh….you okay?"

Brooke looks at her curiously, "Yeah. I'm fine." She shrugs, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh I don't know. I just thought with Dean gone…"

"It was going to happen sooner or later." Brooke quickly cuts her off. "It's what they do. They have to go _save_ the world one town at a time." She enhanced "save" by making her own quotation marks. "And we just have to focus on our own lives and make sure Nathan comes back to us." She gives Haley a reassuring smile.

Haley watches Brooke. She knows Brooke well enough to know when she's putting up a front. This was one of those times. But she wasn't going to push her about it. Truth be told, Haley found herself missing Sam. Not in a romantic way of course, but his presence there had become a comfort to her.

*****

Dean and Sam had been on the road for three days now. They weren't exactly sure where they were supposed to go. Just as long as they got as far away from Tree Hill as possible.

Sam had taken over the driving an hour earlier. He glances over at Dean, who is staring blankly out the passenger window.

"We can talk about it." Sam suggests.

Dean dryly replies, "There's nothing to talk about, Sam."

Sam tries to stay focused on the driving, but the silence is killing him. He sighs, "It's just…do you ever wonder…I mean besides the whole saving people and the world thing…if maybe we're meant for something else too?"

Dean arches his left eyebrow and looks at Sam curiously.

"It's just…Haley…" Sam hesitates.

"Dude, don't even go there." Dean interrupts, "She's married!"

Sam glares at Dean, "I didn't mean it like that! Listen, while you were with Brooke, I stayed with Haley and I just sat there, listening to her talk to Nathan about all the struggles they've face and how everything in the universe seemed to be against them. Yet here they are. Still together after seven years…" He pauses.

"Where exactly are you going with this, Sam?"

Sam looks at Dean, "It just made me think…why not? You know? If they can beat all odds and still maintain a relationship, then why can't we?"

Dean shakes his head, "Sam, we live completely different lives than they do."

"What makes it so much different Dean? Struggles are struggles."

"Being surrounded by death everyday is a huge difference, Sam! We're constantly putting our lives in danger. Do you really think it's fair to her to leave her everyday and possibly never come back?"

"So you're telling me that you've never considered it?" Sam glances at Dean, "Not even after meeting Brooke?"

Dean softens at the mention of Brooke's name. He sighs, "Sam…" He lowers his head, "It wasn't like that. She was…" He struggled saying the next part, "She was part of a job. That's all it was."

Sam nods, "So you're telling me that you're satisfied with the way you left things? I mean, she's just part of the job, right? No strings attached. Just a simple goodbye and that's all."

Dean tries to not let Sam's words get to him. So far he had done a good job at keeping the last week's events in the back of his mind. It was just another job that he and Sam had completed.

Dean slowly looks back toward the passenger window, "Yeah." He softly says. "That's all."

*****

Brooke's dreams started out quite decent. The moment she finally drifted off to sleep, she was suddenly back in high school. Everyone she cared about was there. Nathan was chasing Haley around the rivercourt, Mouth and Skillz sat on the bleachers. Even Lucas and Peyton were there. Everyone was happy. Just the way she always imagined they would be.

The dream shifts and she's at Clothes Over Bros. Staring into the eyes of the handsome stranger that just walked in. Dean Winchester. She teases him about using that smile of his to get his way. He continues to smile at her. Never losing eye contact.

Suddenly, everything seems to get colder. She finds herself in a dark room. Complete silence. She feels a sense of panic wash over her. She calls out for someone, but not one sound escapes her lips. She tries to run, but where to? There's no indication of light anywhere.

Her heart starts beating faster when she feels a presence lurking behind her. Too scared to turn around to face it, she decides to try one more time to make a run for it, but before she can, she feels two strong hands grab her hair and pull her back. She screams.

The hands, and the feeling of razor-sharp nails dig into her neck. Suddenly, she's bent backwards and looks up to see two glowing, red eyes staring evilly back at her.

"Please…no." She says breathlessly.

She hears the haunting voice whisper in her ear, "We've been waiting for you."

Brooke's eyes widen as she sees a long, crooked dagger shining above her. Before she can do anything, the dagger comes crashing down into her chest.

"No!" Brooke sits straight up in bed, breathing heavily. She shivers from the cold sweat that has broken out over her body. After a few moments of trying to compose herself, she quickly checks her body for any damage. She gives a sigh of relief when she finds everything still intact.

She slowly runs her fingers through her hair, "What is wrong with me?" she whispers. She looks around the dark room. There's complete silence. Nothing but the sound of the heavy wind outside.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Brooke almost jumps out of her skin at the loud banging coming from the living room. She looks over at the clock. It reads 1:00 AM. Is someone at the door? Maybe it's Haley.

Brooke hesitantly gets out of bed and slowly walks out into the hallway.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Brooke stops abruptly as she realizes the knocking seems to be too strong to be Haley's. What if it's not her? What if it's someone else...or worse…some_thing_.

She slowly makes her way to the door and places her hand on the doorknob. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before opening the door.

_Bang! Bang!_

Brooke quickly pulls the door open and stops dead in her tracks. She stares straight ahead into the eyes of…

"Dean—" she softly says.

She caught him in the middle of knocking. She notices he's breathing heavily and there's a certain eagerness in his eyes. He lowers his arm, never breaking eye contact.

"What are you doing here? I mean…I thought—"

Her words are silenced as Dean pulls her in closer and presses his lips against hers. She's caught off guard by his actions, but she soon feels her own eagerness start to build. She pulls Dean even closer, never breaking the kiss. She had imagined what it would be like to kiss Dean Winchester. Ever since the moment she first met him. But even her wildest dreams could never compare to how it really felt.

The kiss turns into something much more. Dean sweeps Brooke up into his arms and carries her into the bedroom. Brooke leaves trails of kisses down his neck and he lightly moans with delight. This sends a thrilling sensation through Brooke's body.

They fall onto the bed and it's not long before they've found each other's lips again. The room is filled with their heavy breathing. Brooke lifts the bottom of his shirt up and starts kissing his stomach. Dean sighs and Brooke pulls his shirt up over his head. Now straddling him and his face just inches from hers, she stares into his eyes.

"I can't believe you're here." She says breathlessly.

Dean gives her his famous smirk and quickly pulls her in for another kiss. He gently removes her silky, pajama top and kisses her neck. Suddenly he's on top of her, making sure his lips don't miss one inch of her body. She closes her eyes, savoring every moment. Every kiss. She'd never experienced anything like this. And she knew from this moment forward, nothing would ever be the same again.

NOTE: I've made a special video to go along with this chapter. I really hope you enjoy it! If the link doesn't show up, please PM me and I'll happily send the link to you. Just go to YT and type in rest of address.

.com/watch?v=zq5TFxu6sOk

Hope you enjoyed this long overdue chapter and I promise….there's more to come!


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